"James: Lesson 4"

James asserts that wisdom can be seen most clearly by looking at how leaders act. Not what they know or think or spout, but what they do!

[i] “Wisdom Mural” in the Library of Congress, by Robert Reid, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

September 22, 2024

Dr. Todd R. Wright

 What does wisdom look like?

The painting on the bulletin cover is from a mural in the Library of Congress. It shows Wisdom as a strong, lovely young woman. It echoes a passage from the Wisdom of Solomon:

"For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom. She is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars. Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail. She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well."[ii]

James pictures wisdom differently.

Even though he must have known of the Jewish tradition of depicting wisdom as a female figure, he does not paint wisdom as a strong woman, sparkling with light or toting books.

Nor as a bearded figure on a mountaintop dispensing answers about the meaning of life.

Nor as a bespectacled professor in tweed sharing ivory tower insights.

Instead, in this lesson, James asserts that wisdom can be seen most clearly by looking at how leaders act. Not what they know or think or spout, but what they do!

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If you wanted to teach about the subject of wisdom, ancient wisdom literature made use of lists. James is no different. But he makes a distinction between earthly wisdom and God’s wisdom. The first claims to be wisdom; the latter is truly wise.

Eugene Peterson makes the case bluntly in his translation of James:

“Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom.

Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom.

Twisting the truth to make yourself sound wise isn’t wisdom.”[iii]

We’ve all known people who acted like that. They fool some people; fool themselves. But James sees through them and hopes his listeners will too.

He sees that they are just trying to puff themselves up or get ahead.

When our leaders act like that its dog eat dog – things fall apart, and everyone ends up at each other’s throats. No community can thrive like that. Nor can the church.

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Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, isn’t like that.

Again, Peterson is blunt in his translation of James: “God’s wisdom begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not two-faced.”

You’ve known people like that too.

Casey Thornburgh Sigmon writes, “I picture a beloved spiritual director, nodding, listening, asking those self-awakening questions that help me to hear the wisdom of God in the core of my being. Gentle. Not coercive. Invitational, not manipulating and bullying. Hello, wisdom from above! Actions and choices prompted by [such holy wisdom] make for peace, beauty, joy, abundance.”[iv]

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With his two lists of qualities James makes a clear distinction between earthly wisdom and that which comes from above. But in doing so he presses his listeners to reassess the leaders they know, the ones in their cities and their churches. Do they act like Christ?

It’s a fair question.

So, take a moment to think of a person you consider wise.

What are they like? How do they lead? How do they impact the people around them?

Would James call them wise?

One person who comes to my mind was the head of staff at the first church Maureen and I served right out of seminary. Bob Ratchford was smart, an experienced leader, able to think on his feet but careful about preparation, secure enough in his role to not be threatened by other talented people, firm when he had to be but always gentle and encouraging. In short, he displayed God’s wisdom and everything he touched flourished as a result – just like James predicts.

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This is an important lesson for people of all ages to learn.

We’ll be electing another class of elders today.

After a period of study, they will be asked a series of ordination questions.

One of them is …

“Do you promise to further the peace, unity, and purity of the church?”[v]

James doesn’t think you can do that without wisdom from above.

Another asks …

“Will you serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love?”

Maybe it ought to ask about wisdom as well!

James sees that as a necessary mark of good leaders.

These ordination questions reveal what we Presbyterians value – characteristics molded, I would argue, by James’ teaching. In our leaders, we get what we ask for. A

[i] “Wisdom Mural” in the Library of Congress, by Robert Reid, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

[ii] Wisdom of Solomon 7:26 - 8:1 NRSV, updated version

[iii] Here and following, from The Message

[iv] From her comments on the text for workingpreacher.org, 9/19/21

[v] Here and following , from the Book of Order of the PCUSA, W-4.0404 a-i